I'm anxious and excited and nervous and proud of myself all wrapped into one. Mike Floyd, a friend and photographer, and I left Portland mid- afternoon May 9 to head west towards Fort Stevens (Oregon coast). We drove the route I'd bike the next day to scout out how cycling over the coastal range may be. We didn't really comment on the hills (!), but instead, we talked about the shape the pavement was in, how much shade there was and how breathtakingly beautiful Oregon is. We scouted Astoria and Fort Stevens after a yummy meal at Fort George Brewery (no beer for me) for photo ops the next day. The evening on Shipwreck Beach was perfect. Warm-ish, low tide and hardly another human in sight. We actually took some photos for about 30 minutes (see my iPhone photos here- professional photos on their way!) and then headed to Mike's friends home in Cannon Beach who graciously gave Mike a key. What a gorgeous home to stay in for free the night before I started this journey. We sat by the fire drinking tea, chatting about relationships, goals, and trying to figure out how the heck my Garmin Edge actually works.

Sadly I heard from my ex-husband that our amazing Rottweiler of 12 years, Oliver is ready to go. Jered was so kind to call and tell me that after this first part of my ride, on Sunday, I am welcome to spend time with Oli, snuggle with him once more and come say my goodbyes.

I fell asleep thinking about all the joy, laughter and love Oliver has brought to our life.